Dear Lawton...

Dear Lawton,

As you lie next to me in bed, I can see your chest rise and fall. I can hear your faint sighs and mumbles. I can smell your sweet breath. You are wonderful. Perfection. Edible deliciousness. I love you so much and treasure each day I have with you. You are almost 11 months old and will be walking and talking soon. Our nursing relationship will come to an end relatively soon. I never thought I'd say this, but I totally wouldn't mind nursing you extensively. You make the sweetest sounds as you eat and prefer milk over food any day of the week. You are so attached to me and I love that you are. I love when you wake up in the morning, I love our afternoons, I love evenings and bath times and bedtimes and even middle of the night wake ups (sometimes). That middle of the night time is just ours. I can focus on you with no other distractions. You can nurse and look in my eyes and make your sweet sounds in the comfort of the night. I wish that I could bottle up those sounds and your smell and keep them forever. You will be one year old in a little more than a month and I guess you won't exactly be my baby anymore, but you will truly always be my baby. I love you more than the sun and the stars, sweet boy.

Love,
Mommy

#20byThanksgiving

I started reading Mama Laughlin's blog several months ago when someone repinned it on Pinterest and immediately fell in love with her.  She was like my long-lost skinny BFF.  She lost a lot of weight after her second son was born last November, which happens to be when Superbaby was born.  However, she works full-time, doesn't have a husband with a crazy schedule, and wasn't breastfeeding.  I told myself that all of those differences were definitely stopping me from losing weight. I think I'm the only person in the world that doesn't lose weight with breastfeeding.  Anyway, last month, Superdad's crazy schedule stopped being so crazy and I started feeling a whole lot less like a married single mom.  I've had a lot more time to myself [hence the TWO recent blog posts!] and decided 2 weeks ago that it was time to change my weight for good.  Two Mama Laughlin super fans created a Facebook group for readers of the blog that were trying to lose weight and I joined right as it was created in July.  However, I never really interacted with it until a few weeks ago.  Right before Labor Day, I started all out stalking the group and it. is. AMAZEBALLS. I love that group so much.  The women are so encouraging and everyone has everyone's back.  There are people there trying to lose 10 pounds and there are people on a 150-pound weight loss journey. For the first time in my life, I feel like I CAN do this.  I don't have to be a slave to food or the scale or whatever else.  I've been logging everything I eat into myfitnesspal and working out [almost] daily.  I've lost 8 pounds since I started!  I broke into a new decade of numbers on the scale yesterday!  I know that I have such a long road ahead of me, but I will lose 100 pounds.  I deserve to feel beautiful.  Superboy & Superbaby deserve a mom that isn't fat.  Superdad deserves a hot wife.  I have SO got this. And I'm not giving up.

I joined a challenge to lose 20 pounds by Thanksgiving.  That's why my instagram and twitter posts have the #20bythanksgiving hashtag on them when I post anything fitness related -- we are all encouraging each other to lose 20 pounds and we will all make it there!  Join me on my challenge!  You won't regret it!

Until next time...

xoxo,
Supermom

Long time gone!

Wow, I went way too long without updating the blog!  We've been very busy over the last month!  Superboy turned FIVE years old and started Kindergarten, Superbaby is so busy all the time now that he's mobile, we got a precious puppy named Parker, and Superdad lost his job.  Yes, he lost it.  But we're okay.  God is constantly providing for us and helping us make it through this difficult time.

J started kindergarten three weeks ago.  It has been quite an adjustment for all of us!  He is in public school this year and loves his class.  However, he has a problem with keeping his sweet little mouth closed during class [like mother, like son] and seems to always be in trouble for one thing or another.  So far, all of his offenses have been relatively minor, but he did have one particularly bad day. Hopefully things will continue to get better as he becomes more accustomed to school.  J also turned 5 years old about 3 weeks ago, and he had a great birthday party at the YMCA with his friends at the water park!

L is suddenly so busy.  He is semi-crawling [army crawling, or "caterpillar crawling" as J says] and all over the place.  He loves to go for the dog's water and food bowls.  We have to constantly keep those out of his reach or we'll find him with a mouthful of dog food... gross!  He says "hey" and throws up his little hand all the time like he's waving.  He also says "mama" and "dada", although "mama" is totally his favorite.  L still doesn't sleep very well at night.  He will do somewhat better for a couple of nights and then go right back to "normal" after that, which is awake every 2-3 hours.

We recently started going to an Episcopal church and we all love it.  The ladies in the nursery fuss over how precious L is all the time, J likes the music and the attention from the ladies, and Adam and I love everything. Since Adam isn't working on Sundays anymore, it's so nice that we all get to go to a church that we love and believe in. I've always felt like we would really like an Episcopal church, and I was correct!  

I'm on a mission to lose weight.  I thought I was trying a few months ago, but I really wasn't, if I'm completely honest with myself. I half-assed it and expected amazing results. When they didn't happen, I was crushed. I started back on a diet/exercise program last week and have lost 7.2 pounds so far!  I've been tracking my calories on myfitnesspal and doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred (killer workout!!) and it's paying off!

I have the best friends and family in the world.  I'm so incredibly lucky to have so many amazing, supportive people in my life.

xoxo-
Supermom

A few pictures from the last month: 

 Jameson & his BFF, John Michael, at J's birthday party.

 Jameson's 5th Angry Birdsday Party.  :] 

 BFFs!

 First day of school!

 Third day of school... "Mommy, will you take my picture while I hold your hand and walk to class?"

 Precious sleeping boy.  I love his eyelashes so much!

 Lawton & Parker

 Parker is praying that Lawton will drop a Cheerio for him!

My boys after church!

Herby Pork Chops

We had a great supper tonight!  I made these amazing herb pork chops, mashed garlic cauliflower, corn on the cob, and roasted okra.  As promised to some of you, here are the recipes from tonight:

Herb Pork Chops

4 thin (14 oz) boneless pork loin chops, center cut
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried savory
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp whole wheat flour (leave out for gluten free)

Season pork chops with first 5 ingredients.  Dip in whole wheat flour and shake off excess.  Melt butter in pan over medium heat.  Once butter is melted, add pork chops and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.  Move to plate and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Roasted Okra
15-20 stalks fresh okra
olive oil
salt & pepper

Cut tips from okra and cut in pieces approximately 1/3"-1/2".  Spread evenly on baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper, drizzle olive oil.  Use hands to mix and coat everything equally. You don't need a lot of olive oil!  Cook for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mashed Garlicky Cauliflower [hint: don't tell your family it's cauliflower.  Everyone thought it was mashed potatoes.]

1 medium head cauliflower
1 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/4 c grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
dash freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter


Rinse and chop cauliflower.  Steam for about 10-15 minutes until fork tender.  Let drain well.  Place cream cheese, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, and butter in large mixing bowl.  Add cauliflower.  Use immersion blender to blend everything together until smooth.

Fresh Corn on the Cob
This one is really super difficult. Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Add as many corn on the cobs as you need, still in husks, silks attached.  Place them directly on the oven rack and let cook for 30 minutes.  Cut off the end when you're done to remove the silks and use the husk as a handle to eat.  Amazing.

Hope you guys had a great Monday!  See you next time!

Love,
Supermom

Spinach & Artichoke Quiche = To Die For

Superdad hates frittata.  HATES.  He would rather starve than eat frittata.  I made that zucchini one a few weeks ago and he forced it down, but it wasn't his favorite [although he did say that it "wasn't terrible"]. I was a little hesitant to offer a quiche, but he LOVED it and so did Jameson.  I will definitely be making this more often!  

Superboy helped me make the whole wheat crust: 

Mmmmmmmmm....

Here is the recipe: 

Spinach & Artichoke Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust

Whole Wheat Crust:

1.5 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

Dump all of this in the pie pan and mix well.  Once it's all mixed together, roll it into a ball in the center of the pie plate and press it out evenly in the pie plate. Pinch along the top edges or use a fork to make pretty indentations.  Superboy did everything except measure the ingredients for this.  I measured everything and put it in the pie plate for him and he loved it.  Get your kids in the kitchen.  That's where the best memories are made.

Quiche:

1 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese

1 steamed artichoke, or one organic can artichoke hearts that ONLY contains artichokes.  None of that other additive mess. 

1 10 oz package of frozen chopped spinach

10-12 cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw spinach in microwave and squeeze until very dry.  Steam artichokes or drain water from canned artichoke hearts. Chop artichokes well.  Slice tops off of cherry tomatoes and then cut them in half.  Mix everything together in a bowl, making sure to beat eggs.  Pour everything into the pie crust and bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until center is set.  

Finished product.  I served it with a side salad with balsalmic vinaigrette & fresh sliced fruit with Greek yogurt on the side.  Amazing!  So great for a quick, easy summer dish. 
Hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did!

Love, 

Supermom 

And, just to leave you with a whole lot of adorableness, here are my little calves at Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A today [no, that's definitely NOT real food but we live by the 80/20 rule... we're allowed 20% of non-real food]. :] 

Clean Eating FAQ

We've been clean eating for over 3 weeks now.  I am absolutely no expert, but I have been asked a LOT of questions by a lot of people about clean eating! Honestly, I love being asked about it.  It holds me accountable.  I never want to look at someone and say, "well.... I'm not really doing that anymore" when they ask. If you still have questions, feel free to ask!  Email me at ecitysupermom@gmail.com or comment here.

Why do you eat clean?
Eating clean is the way we were intended to eat.  I honestly didn't do it to lose weight or anything, but it has helped in that area as well.  I have more energy.  My hair is stronger and healthier.  My nails are stronger.  My face is still in the break out stage while toxins are being pushed out of my body.


What do you eat?
Here is a sampling of some of the things we eat for each meal:
Breakfast: overnight oats [recipe below], omelets with veggies, fresh fruit
Lunch: pimento cheese on whole wheat,  fresh fruit, fresh veggies with hummus, dinner leftovers
Dinner: as long as it's made from scratch and sugar & preservative free, it's good to go.  I posted some of our favorite recipes in an earlier post, and will post more below for your pleasure!

Overnight oats

What are your staple foods?  Which foods do you have on hand at all times?
Every "diet" [whether used for weight loss or not] is going to include certain staple foods.  I find myself using these things all the time:  whole wheat flour, herbs, spices, olive oil, coconut oil, milk, eggs, butter [used sparingly but still good to have on hand], tons of fresh, seasonal produce, oatmeal [plain, not instant], steel cut oatmeal, honey, pure maple syrup, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, nut butters, flax meal, chia seeds, dried beans, and nuts.  I buy local and organic whenever possible for everything.  The Farmer's market is my BFF.


Do you plan your meals?
Yes, I do.  Well, at least suppers are planned.  Breakfast is typically planned because I'll make overnight oats the night before or I won't.  I've always been a meal planner, though, even way before clean eating.  Little Miss Type A cannot live without her menu plans.


There ya have it, folks!  These are a few of the questions I keep hearing over and over.  I hope this helps someone and don't hesitate to contact me with any other questions!


Love,
Supermom


P.S.  Here's the recipe for overnight oats.  You thought I forgot, didn't you?  This originally came from one of my favorite blogs, www.katheats.com [she also has an iPhone app which is amazing for my iPhone peeps!], but I've adapted it a tiny bit for my taste.  :]  You can play with this as much as you'd like to find the perfect balance. It's really good and super filling!


Overnight Oats
adapted from katheats.com


1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 – 1/2 cup milk [depending on how soupy you want them to be]
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 banana
1/2 tbsp chia seeds
Dash of cinnamon


Directions


Stir everything together in a bowl and place, covered or uncovered, in the refrigerator for the night.  I like to put mine in a mason jar.  I love me some mason jars.  You can top overnight oats with whatever you'd like -- I usually do some slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, sunflower or almond butter, and blueberries or blackberries.  I also throw these in the microwave for about a minute before I add toppings because I don't like cold breakfast, but that's totally up to you!

Farmer's Market Meal

We've officially been real foodies for almost 3 weeks now. I've been experimenting and trying new recipes with real food lately. I made an amazing sandwich tonight on a croissant that was great! I sautéed zucchini, squash, onions, eggplant, and mushrooms with a tiny bit of salt and pepper, whipped up a simple mixture of softened cream cheese and red pepper jelly to spread on the croissants, and put the veggies on the croissant, making a farmers market sandwich. It was fantastic! I cant take all the credit for this one, though. This is actually my most favorite sandwich in the world from our favorite restaurant, SummaJoe's Searing Pans. I'm going to try to find a real food recipe that makes bigger croissants and then I'll be 100% satisfied with this sandwich. The croissants were tiny. I served roasted okra and cantaloupe on the side. This was a wonderful, light, summer meal! Definitely going on the rotation, big croissants or not. Enjoy!